Punon
Punon is an ancient city mentioned in the Old Testament, located in the region of Negev in modern-day Israel. Known today as Khirbet Faynan. It appears across 2 verses in Scripture.
Biblical History
Punon appears in the Old Testament as one of the Israelite encampments during the wilderness wandering, listed in the itinerary of Numbers 33:42-43. The people traveled from Zalmonah and camped at Punon before moving on to Oboth. While this is its only direct mention, many scholars connect Punon with the region where the dramatic episode of the bronze serpent took place (Numbers 21:4-9). As the Israelites traveled from Mount Hor by the way of the Red Sea to go around the land of Edom, they grew impatient and spoke against God and Moses. God sent fiery serpents among the people, and many died. When the people repented, God instructed Moses to make a bronze serpent and set it on a pole so that anyone bitten could look upon it and live. Jesus himself referenced this event in John 3:14-15, drawing a direct typological connection between the lifted serpent and his own crucifixion. Punon's association with copper mining further supports the bronze serpent connection, as the materials for such a casting would have been readily available there.
Archaeological & Historical Notes
Punon is identified with Khirbet Faynan (Feinan) in the Wadi Arabah of southern Jordan, one of the largest ancient copper mining and smelting sites in the Near East. Extensive archaeological investigations led by Thomas Levy and others have documented copper production spanning from the Chalcolithic period (fourth millennium BC) through the Roman and Byzantine eras. The site contains massive slag heaps estimated at over 100,000 tons, mine shafts, smelting furnaces, and worker settlements. A Byzantine church and monastery attest to early Christian presence, possibly reflecting traditions connecting the site to the bronze serpent narrative. The toxic copper slag and desolate landscape evoke the punishing conditions described in the biblical text. Faynan remains one of the most significant archaeometallurgical sites in the ancient world.
Verse Appearances (2)
Sources: ISBE Encyclopedia · OpenBible Geocoding (CC BY) · Pleiades Gazetteer View all →